- BEFORE THE END OF the world, Nate lived in a trailer, in a terrible living condition with a terrible father who beat on him and his brothers at every chance he got - his mother abandoned him long before he could even walk, and he had a pretty shitty childhood. He didn't live in a nice neighbourhood with nice neighbours who cared for him and his family, and he never actually wanted to, either; he knew that Zoe had a big house, with parents who cared for her and loved her with all of their hearts, but he never had that, not until the virus came along and the dead started walking. He found his family in a dark situation, and he couldn't be more happy with who he travelled with, who he survived with, he liked things the way they were, he didn't want anyone new to come into the picture.

Sp, when Nate first saw the wall that Aaron showed them the picture of, he was shocked, to say the least, and he knew that in an instant, that there would be a lot of people living here. It was like everything was happening in slow motion, the whole group seeing something different for the first time in what felt like forever. The suburbs was never something that Nate wanted anything to do with, before the world ended or after; he liked the prison, he liked the RV, he liked the farm, this.. This felt strange. But for the first time in weeks, he was looking at this place, and he actually saw a future here, maybe not with all of the people living here, but he saw his family here, in the houses, in the streets, laughing.. Living.

When the door first opened, the whole group were in awe, staring at the small community like they had never seen something like it before, like they had never seen people look so clean, at least, not for a while, even the people in Terminus and Woodbury looked dirty, like they couldn't keep themselves clean even with the amount of supplies they had in their sanctuary. When the door was opened, and the man at the gate looked at them with a strange look on his face, like he was looking at zoo animals, especially when Daryl shot an arrow through the animal that had jumped out of the bushes and freaked them all out. He looked at them like they were a circus act, and Nate wanted nothing but to punch his lights out. "It's okay, come on in, guys." Aaron said, when no one made a move to follow him through the gates.

Glenn made the move to walk into the sanctuary first, which prompted everyone else to follow, but before Zoe moved her feet, she reached out and grabbed Nate's hand, the man instantly squeezing tight as she pulled him along into the suburbs. No one made a noise as they walked through the gate and entered the sanctuary, not even Judith, who held her mouth open in awe, until the man who opened up the gate, finally spoke up after giving them all a strange look. "I need you all to turnover your weapons. Stay, you hand over your weapons." He added, when no one else made a move to get rid of their weapons.

"We don't know if we want to stay." Rick snapped back, not exactly liking the idea of handing over any of their weapons to these people who they didn't know or even trust. He didn't like this man, already, "If we're going to use them, we would have started already." He said, glaring at the man who was stupid enough to even suggest something like that.

Zoe didn't know about this place, she already didn't trust this man in front of them, she didn't like the way that he was staring them all down like they were all animals who had come into his house, like they were all dirt on the bottom of his shoe.. She didn't like it one bit. "Let them talk to Deanna, first." Aaron told his friend, when Abraham asked who that woman is. Aaron explained further, "She knows everything you'd want to know about this place. Rick, why don't you start?" He asked, now looking straight at Rick as the man didn't falter his look once, still keeping his mask up, not knowing if he could trust this place yet, either.

Rick looked back at his group, making sure to look at all of their faces before he looked back at Aaron, after ordering Sasha to shoot a walker approaching the gate. "It's a good thing we're here." He said, noticing the looks on Aaron's and the other guys face when they saw how good Sasha's aim was. Maybe they needed them more than they wanted to be here..

—

Zoe had never had a job before the world ended, never been interviewed, and had never been filmed whilst doing so, so whilst she sat on the chair opposite Deanna, the woman staring at her in interest, like she wanted to know her life story, from the beginning to now, every little detail. The girl felt uncomfortable with the older woman looking into her eyes, so much so, that she had to avert her eyes, looking around the room filled with books, tapes and decorations, before looking at the camera behind Deanna again, turning her head as she eyed it. "You don't like the camera?" Deanna asked Zoe, as the girls eyes darted towards the woman again.

"Not so much not liking it, just not sure why you have to film this." Zoe admitted, leaning back in the chair and crossing her arms across her chest, she just wanted to know why they had to be interviewed, and filmed whilst doing so, also, it was strange and she didn't like it one bit; when they let people into their group before the prison was overrun and burnt down, there was just two questions they asked them before doing so, how many walkers have you killed, and how many humans have you killed? What was the need for all of this? Zoe just didn't understand.

Deanna nodded, understanding where the girl was coming from, it must be strange to her and her group, by the looks of Rick, and all of the others, they had been through hell, and had been through hell and back. She heard it from Rick herself, so she knew bits and pieces of what had happened to them all when they were out there, and she couldn't feel more sorry for them all because of that. "Your father thought the same thing." Deanna said, as she saw Zoe frown, not liking how she mentioned Rick like she knew him for her whole life - they had a small interview, and that was all. "Now.. I understand that.." Deanna started to say, when Zoe scoffed, a smile on her face when she heard those words, not knowing how she could use those words, when she didn't know a single thing about their lives.

"You don't understand anything about us, or what we've been through. So don't even start." Zoe couldn't help but snap, not liking how this woman was trying to talk to her like they weren't just people, that they were lost, because they were all dirty and with no home. This woman just made her feel like she was beneath her, like she wasn't as good, and she knew that it wasn't her fault, that she was just surprised that people had survived out in the world for so long.

"I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have used that wording." Deanna said, sighing as she tried to think of a better way to question this girl, since she was just as hostile as her father. "From what I've been told, you have all been out there since the beginning, surviving day by day as it comes, no matter what had hit you, you carried on, and I'm just trying to figure out how.. My people.. They don't know what it's like out there, I don't know what it's like out there, and we need people in this community that knows what it's like, that can help protect our home." She explained, as Zoe knew partly on where she was coming from. They had met a few people that had been shielded from walkers since the outbreak, like the people from Woodbury, but a community like this was rare, and she didn't know what to think of it, it was overwhelming.

Zoe leaned forwards in her chair and clasped her hands together, "So you only want us here we your security guards?" She asked, not understanding what Deanna was saying at all.

Deanna shook her head, "We want you here so you don't have to suffer anymore. My people have been watching yours for a while now, and if Aaron says that your people are worth helping, then you're worth helping." She explained, having thought that this girl would have been easier to crack into, but just like her father, she wasn't.

"Aaron doesn't know us." Zoe said, raising a brow at her.

Deanna had a smile on her face when she heard Zoe's words, feeling like she had a female version of Rick in front of her right now, and that wasn't a bad thing, she quite liked Rick, and she wanted him to be apart of her community. "That's exactly what your father said." She said, yet again, as Zoe couldn't help but roll her eyes, not exactly liking it a bunch that she kept comparing her to her father. "You two are very similar, and that's not a bad thing. Rick is very smart, I can sense that you are, too." She said, as Zoe couldn't help but feel glad at the compliment. Even if he was comparing her to her father, maybe it wasn't the worst thing. "Listen.. I know you're all uneasy about this place, and I want to make it as easy as I can for you all to settle in, okay?" She said, as Zoe nodded.

Maybe this place wouldn't be too bad after all..

——

Zoe, Nate and the rest of the group had lost count on how long it had been since they had even seen a shower, when the CDC got destroyed, they didn't believe they would ever see one again, especially one so clean. The second the hot water hit her skin, she sighed in relief, closing her eyes for a while as she appreciated the steam and heat surrounding her. It wasn't long before she felt another body behind her, the girl instantly smiled at the touch, feeling Nate's hands running down her back, resting on her hips and resting his head and on her shoulder. "Who would've thought a hot shower would be something we'd be in, today." He said, mumbling into her neck and sending goosebumps all over her body.

A huge smile broke across her face, leaning back into his touch, "Who would've thought?" She asked, having never thought they would be in this position again. As she felt Nate kissing the side of her neck, Zoe spun around and placed her hands on either side of his face, pulling him into her as she pressed her lips up against his, his mouth instantly moulding together with hers, like they were made for each other. They had both forgotten what it felt like to have some alone time, they had always been with the group, within earshot, and they hadn't been alone together for a while, but right now, they were completely alone and it felt amazing.

For the first time in a while, the couple felt truly happy and at ease, not having to worry about any walkers coming out and attacking them due to the wall around the sanctuary. They wouldn't have believed they were safe, but when Rick had agreed that this place was safe from walkers, they didn't know about the people just yet, but it was nice to know that they were safe from the walkers. "I love you so much." Nate mumbled into the kiss, running his hands down her back and further down, lifting Zoe up and pushing her up against the tiled wall behind them, a giggle erupting from her mouth as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

She replied by deepening the kiss, and they felt like the only two people in the whole world.

The group decided that they would all stay in one house together so they were sure nothing could sneak up on them in the night, call them paranoid, but Rick knew he couldn't just trust people off of the first impressions, and he wouldn't put his family at risk by doing so, now, when he had been so careful this whole time. Everyone had taken turns in the shower, and everyone looked a lot cleaner than they had for months, they didn't even have that much hot water in the prison, but it was like this hot water was never ending. Zoe sat on the table next to Carl as he read a comic, and Nate was looking out of the window, making sure that no one was trying to sneak up on them or anything of the sorts.. Zoe didn't know what to think of her father without a beard, it reminded her of how things were before the world ended, it reminded her of her mother, and Shane, and overall made her feel nostalgic.

The girl didn't exactly want to listen in to her father and Michonne's conversation, but she couldn't help but agree with the woman when she said about how she had a good feeling about the place, if they were going to attack, they would have done so already, and she just found it hard to believe they would even do so after interviewing them all. Zoe looked up and at the same time, Nate did, the two exchanging a quick look before they heard a knock on the door, Rick being the one to open it as everyone put their guard up, glancing over at the door and waiting to see who was knocking. It was Deanna, the woman instantly looking up at Rick with wide eyes, "Wow.. I didn't know what was under there." She said, looking like she was looking at a completely different person. "Listen, I don't mean to interrupt, I just wanted to stop by and see how you were all settling." She added, looking over at the whole group to see them all in one house.

She was talking about how it was surprising how a group of people with such different backgrounds could so tight, and so loyal to one another. Zoe wasn't exactly listening, she was looking over at Nate who was looking back at her, still, trying to read her expression, but having trouble - Zoe had mixed reviews about this place, sometimes she'll think that it will be good for them, but at the same time, they didn't know these people, and could they really openly trust them without much knowledge on who they were as people? Nate followed by his brother and Rick no matter what, but he still had his guard up either way, he didn't want to let it down and allow something to happen to his family, but at the same time, he trusted Rick's judgment, and is he trusted these people, then he would try to do the same.

It felt a bit stuffy in the main living room of the house, but that didn't stop Zoe and Nate cuddling up to each other like they did every single night, it took a while for Nate to get to sleep, since he was watching over Zoe, holding her tight and making sure she was okay, but eventually, he did fall asleep, the girl tight in his arms with a small smile on her face. Everyone else was out for the count, from what Nate could see before he eventually dozed off, no one saw Rick get up and grab a knife from the kitchen, and no one knew what he was really thinking. But either way, everyone had the best night sleep that they had in months, and were all rested when they woke up in the morning.

The group were told to explore, and Zoe couldn't wait to do so, to see how this place ran and who lived here, Nate wasn't as excited as her, more nervous that they would find something they don't like or they would be snuck up on and ambushed, he still couldn't let his guard down, no matter how hard he tried. Now they were all clean and it was daytime, Zoe realised just how long her hair had gotten, she hadn't looked in a mirror for months, and she couldn't believe she had let it get like this, how no one had said anything to her - seeing how good her dad looked with all of his beard chopped off, she was thinking about chopping hers all off, too, as it would be much easier to survive and fight with it short. Before the rest of the group left the house, Zoe paused on the porch, looking up at Nate as he waited for her to go and explore the town.
"I think I'm going to get my hair cut." She told him, pushing her her back from her face as Nate smiled.

"I think you'd look beautiful either way." He told her, as the girl blushed, even after all of this time, a compliment from him never failed to make her feel like a school girl. "I'll wait for you, here." He said, knowing that the woman who did Rick's hair and beard didn't live far.

Zoe pushed up on her tip toes and pressed a kiss to her boyfriends lips, the man smiling into it as he lifted her up to deepen the kiss before gently placing her on the floor again, all the while Daryl watched from his spot on the ground in the corner of the porch. The two brothers watched the girl walk away, and once he knew she was out of ear shot, he decided to ask his brother the question he had been wanting to ask for a while, now. "So, when you gon' propose?" He asked, as Nate felt the ring burning a hole in his back pocket, having forgotten it was there with all of the things that had been happening since they were all split up.

"The time ain't right." Nate huffed, crossing his arms across his chest, watching as Zoe knocked on a door down the street, the blonde woman opening it and greeting her kindly, exchanging some words before she ushered her inside.

"When is the time right, brother?" Daryl asked, knowing that it would never be a great time to do something like this, to take a step forwards, "It's never gon' be the right time. You love her, she loves you. Just do it." He said, as Nate sighed. He didn't want to pressure Zoe into saying yes, he knew she would, but he wanted it to be perfect, not just some question thrown at her.

"I wanted it to be prefect, you know?" Nate said, watching the house his girl just went into. "She deserves perfect." He added. Zoe deserved the world and more, and he wanted to give her that, he wanted her to be happy, and that's the only thing he truly cared about.

Daryl scoffed, knowing for a fact that Zoe loved his brother so much, she wouldn't care about how he proposed, just the fact that he did propose. "Dude, she won't care how it's done, she loves you, anyone can see that. As long as you give her that ring, she'll be happy, you know she will." He explained, knowing that it would be impossible to have the perfect proposal in this kind of life, but it isn't impossible for them to be happy, that's all that matters.

Nate knew he was right, but he just wanted her to have the world, was that too much to ask? Maybe in this kind of world, but if this place was legit, and they could actually stay here, maybe a perfect proposal could work out, he would just have to plan it.. "I'll do it here, I'll make it great. And she'll love it." He said, nodding to himself as he made the plan in his mind.

Daryl couldn't stop the small smile reaching his face, he never thought he'd see his brother so happy, before the world practically ended, Nate was at a dead end, their dad had ripped his soul away, like he did with himself and Merle, and he was slowly giving up at believing that life could be better. Sure, he didn't exactly believe that life was great, himself - he had taken so many beatings that he never thought that he would be good for anything, but then the dead started walking, and he finally found his place. People like him and Nate didn't belong in the world before this all happened, they didn't have jobs, people looked at them like they were criminals, but sure, they were criminals, selling what they could on the side to get by, but now, people look at them for help, like they were completely different people, and it was nice. He wouldn't ever admit that out loud, though.

Nate couldn't believe that he could call Zoe his, and he knew that a ring wouldn't change that fact, but people would know, know that she is his, she would wear the ring on her finger with pride, and he just wanted her to be happy. And maybe this place would be their future home, they could finally start living..

He just hoped nothing would go wrong.